The Piano Lesson: Sutter & The Ghosts Of The Yellow Dog Explained

WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for The Piano Lesson.

Netflix’s new historical drama The Piano Lesson makes references to the Ghosts of the Yellow Dog and reveals the ghost of Sutter. Directed by Malcolm Washington, The Piano Lesson is a film adaptation of the play of the same name written by August Wilson, who also wrote the original play that inspired the Academy Award-winning film Fences. The Piano Lesson’s ensemble cast is led by John David Washington (Tenet, The Creator), Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction, The Hateful Eight), Danielle Deadwyler (The Harder They Fall, Station Eleven), and Ray Fisher (True Detective, Justice League).

While the film and play are both deeply rooted in American history, The Piano Lesson is not based on a true story or true people. The Piano Lesson has opened up to strong reviews, earning an impressive Rotten Tomatoes critic score of 90%. The Piano Lesson marks the feature film directorial debut of Malcolm Washington, the youngest son of Denzel Washington who directs his older brother John David Washington in the film. By the end of The Piano Lesson, Washington’s Boy Willie and Deadwyler’s Berniece are forced to confront the ghosts of their family’s past in the form of a slave owner named Sutter.

Boy Willie Blames The Deaths Of People Falling Into Wells On Mythical Ghosts

The Ghosts of the Yellow Dog are the spirits of murdered slaves

Boy Willie references the Ghosts of the Yellow Dog as the mythical figures that he claims are responsible for the deaths of several slave owners falling into wells. Sutter, a slave owner who previously owned the family piano in Doaker’s house, died in this way after seemingly falling into a well with no one around. Boy Willie, who is known to cause and look for trouble to get by, explains to Berniece’s daughter, his niece, Maretha, that the Ghosts of the Yellow Dog are responsible for all of these mysteriously similar deaths. Maretha thinks her uncle is just telling spooky ghost stories while Boy Willie seems to know more than he is saying.

As Boy Willie says in The Piano Lesson, the Ghosts of the Yellow Dog are the collective name of the spirits of several enslaved black men who were murdered by Sutter. The Ghosts of the Yellow Dog were said to have been responsible for the deaths of several slave owners who fell into wells like Sutter. The former slaves died near a railroad line called the “Yellow Dog” which is how the group got its mythic name. In the context of the greater themes of The Piano Lesson, the Ghosts of the Yellow Dog represent the collective ancestral spirits of enslaved men and women who were wrongfully brutalized and killed.

Who The Ghost Of Sutter Is & Why He Haunts Doaker’s House & Family

Sutter seeks revenge for the piano Boy Charles had stolen

The Ghosts of the Yellow Dog aren’t the only ghostlike figures in The Piano Lesson. Sutter’s ghost returns and even physically manifests in Doaker’s house, seeking revenge against Boy Willie and his family for stealing his piano years before. Boy Willie and Bernice’s father, Boy Charles, was caught and burned to death by Sutter and his associates after they discovered he had stolen the piano. This would make Boy Charles one of the Ghosts of the Yellow Dog that Boy Willie speaks of. Although the film treats their ghostly characterization of Sutter as a physical presence, there must be some other explanation for how Sutter and other slave owners died.

It’s entirely possible that Sutter could be looking for more revenge than just the piano. He only begins to haunt Doaker’s house and frighten Berniece and Maretha after Boy Willie shows up, hinting that Boy Willie may have had a more direct part in Sutter’s death than he is letting on. If Boy Willie did kill Sutter, he wisely kept that information to himself, even from his family. In a figurative sense, the combined spirit of the Ghosts of the Yellow Dog could be running through Boy Willie, who has more than enough reason to want Sutter dead and plenty of ambition to see it through.

Did Boy Willie Kill Sutter By Pushing Him Into A Well?

Bernice thinks he did but she has no way of knowing for sure

Berniece thinks that Boy Willie killed Sutter based on his shady track record. Boy Willie knows all about how Sutter died by falling into a well but claims he had nothing to do with it despite a plausible motive. Berniece thinks Boy Willie did it but there’s no concrete evidence to support her suspicions in the film and Boy Willie never confesses to it. It’s established in the film and the play that Boy Willie is willing to break the law to make ends meet, fueled with righteousness by the historical mistreatment of black people in America. It would not be surprising if Boy Willie did kill Sutter in The Piano Lesson but he is protected from his ghost through his ancestral strength by the end of the film.

he did but it’s left ambiguous

In The Piano Lesson, a brother and sister clash over selling a family heirloom piano—he sees it as a path to wealth, while she views it as a vital link to their heritage. Their uncle tries to mediate, but the conflict reveals deep truths about identity, legacy, and the past.

Director

Malcolm Washington

Release Date

November 8, 2024

Writers

Virgil Williams , Malcolm Washington

Cast

Samuel L. Jackson , John David Washington , Danielle Deadwyler , Ray Fisher , Corey Hawkins , Michael Potts , Skylar Smith , Stephan James , Erykah Badu , Malik J Ali , Charity Jordan , Isaiah Gunn , Matrell Smith , Jerrika Hinton , Gail Bean , Hanniel Joseph , Pauletta Washington , Olivia Washington , Kylee D. Allen , Deetta West , Jay Peterson , David Atkinson , Tony Fox , Melanie Jeffcoat , Owen Harn , Charles Green

Character(s)

Doaker , Boy Willie , Berniece , Lymon , Avery , Wining Boy , Maretha , Boy Charles , Lucille , Willie Boy , Mama Berniece , Young Boy Willie , Crawley , Grace , Dolly , Papa Boy Walter , Mama Ola , Young Mama Ola , Young Berniece , Mama Esther , James Sutter , Robert Sutter , Young Wining Boy , Miss Ophelia , Joel Nolander , White Man

Runtime

125 Minutes

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